Smithville opens free community Wi-Fi hotspot at Springs Valley Community School
Smithville now offering free community WiFi hotspots across southern Indiana in Greene, Monroe, Orange, and Sullivan counties.
FRENCH LICK (Indiana) —As part of its continuing focus to serve people impacted by the COVID-19 crisis (particularly in rural areas), Ellettsville-based Smithville Communications, Inc. has opened a free WiFi hotspot at Springs Valley Community School in French Lick, Indiana, located at 498 S Larry Bird Boulevard. Hotspots can be used by individuals that need to connect to networks for work, school, or telehealth reasons.
“We must continue to all do our part to help our neighbors in this time of need,” said Darby McCarty, chairman and CEO of Smithville. “We believe that Smithville has an obligation to keep our customers, businesses, and fellow Hoosiers connected, and we take it very seriously. Our team is working every day, ensuring Smithville’s network is up and running to keep our customers connected to what matters most.”
The new hotspot is expected to help area students of the Springs Valley Community Schools who are involved in e-learning activities while the school systems physical facilities are closed.
“We are grateful for Smithville’s donation of accessible internet services, as it helps families and students who need high-speed internet,” said Zach Brown, executive director of the Orange County Economic Development Partnership. “This access is a useful bridge to help our area residents get through these challenging times.”
Smithville is cautioning users to maintain social distancing and remain in their vehicles when accessing WiFi hotspots. The company is also requesting users to keep these channels open for those in need and refrain from using them for recreational purposes such as gaming or streaming.
In addition to the new French Lick location in Orange County, Smithville’s free WiFi hotspots locations include the Monroe County Fairgrounds in Bloomington, Marci Jane Lewis Park in Ellettsville, the fire station in Solsberry (Greene County), the Hymera public library (Sullivan County) and French Lick.
“In this time of uncertainty, we want to assure our customers, neighbors, and families that Smithville continues to be here for them,” said Paul Quick, president of Smithville. “By providing free internet access in this time of challenge, our company is offering a safe, reliable connection to those who need it.”
About Smithville
Nationally recognized for more than a decade as a Top 100 Broadband Company, privately owned Smithville is Indiana’s largest independent telecom company with more than 200 employees. As a fifth-generation, family-owned business, Smithville has been committed to delivering fast and reliable connectivity and legendary service to its customers for nearly a century. The company is well-known as an industry leader and community supporter for rural Indiana.
Since the early 1990s, Smithville has constructed more than 2,800 miles of high-speed, high-capacity fiber across more than 17 Indiana counties, representing private investments totaling upward of a quarter of a billion dollars, including the recent completion of a $4.5 million, 100-gigabit fiber ring.
In addition to its residential services, Smithville provides commercial fiber-based connectivity for businesses, university campuses, biotechnology companies, healthcare providers, government offices, residential centers, communities, and other entities, including the WestGate@Crane Technology Park and the Purdue Research Park. The company currently serves about 23,000 businesses and residences in southern and central Indiana. For more information, please visit www.smithville.com.
